Protective garment



J. SILVER PROTECTIVE GAR MENT Dec. 22, 1964 Filed Jan. 18, 1963 JULIAN SILVER FIG. 3.

United States Patent 3,161,887 7 PROTECTIVE GARMENT Julian Silver, Scarsdale, N.Y., assignor to Instant Fold Products, Inc., New York, N.Y. Filed Jan. 18, 1963, Ser. No. 252,479 1 Claim. (Cl. 288) This invention relates to a protective garment and more particularly to an article of wearing apparel designed to envelop the upper part of the body of the wearer, and preferably, of water repellent sheet material to protect the wearer from rain} snow, wind and similar adverse weather conditions.

A primary object of the invention is the provision of an improved garment of this nature characterized by permanent longitudinally extending pleats by meansof which the article may be folded with a minimum of difficulty into a thin strip which may in turn be folded and pushed in a case or the like of small dimensions to facilitate carrying of the garment in the purse or pocket.

An additional object of the invention is the provision of a device of this character which is so dimensioned that when unfolded along the longitudinal fold lines of the pleats, the same may readily envelop or encompass the upper body of the wearer, additionally serving, if desired, as a head covering.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device of this character which is secured in permanently folded relation at its ends by grommets, or the like, having tubular openings therein in which tie strings may be inserted so that the device may be secured about the upper body of the wearer, the grommets automatically forming end pockets into which the hands of the wearer may be inserted for holding the .same about the body temporarily.

An additional object of the invention is the division of a sheet of this nature having a central opening through which the head of the wearer may be positioned so that the same may be worn in poncho fashion, if desired.

A still further object of the invention resides in the provision of improved means for securing the pleated ends of the garment about the body of the wearer by means of snap fasteners, or the like.

A still further object resides in the combination of elements, arrangements of parts, and features of construction, all as will be more fully pointed out hereinafter and disclosed in the accompanying drawing wherein there are shown preferred embodiments of this inventive concept.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of one form of garment constructed in accordance with the instant invention shown in longitudinally folded position;

FIG. 2 is a view taken substantially at right angles to FIGURE 1, showing the garment of FIG. 1 in partially extended position prior to positioning the same on the person of a wearer;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view which is partially schematic, showing one means of wearing the garment of FIGURE 2;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3, showing another manner of wearing the garment;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIGURES 3 and 4, showing the garment employed in an additional manner;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIGURES 3, 4 and 5, showing still another manner of wearing the garment;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the garment of FIGURE 1 folded transversely for pushing in a case;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 8-8 of FIGURE 1, as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows;

3,161,887. Patented Dec. 22, 1964 ice FIG. 9 is a fragmentary elevational view showing the means of securing the end ties of the garment of FIGURE 1 or FIGURE 4 together;

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIGURE 9, showing a modified form of construction; and

FIG. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 1111 of FIGURE 10.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

Having reference now to the drawings in detail, the garment of the instant invention is generally indicated at 29 and is comprised of a single rectangular sheet of thin, pliable, preferably water repellent material 21. The sheet is permanently folded, as is best seen in FIG. 8, along sharp opposite fold lines 22 and 23, into a plurality of accordion pleats 24 and secured at its opposite ends into permanently pleated relation as by means of tubular grommets 25 of conventional construction.

Tie strings 26 are preferably extended through each grommet 25 and knotted on opposite sides thereof, as at 27 and 23, firmly to secure the same into position and to afford means for securing the garment about the person of the wearer in certain positions with adjustments. When the device is not in use, the strip folded along the fold lines 22 and 23, as shown in FIGURE 1, may be longitudinally folded, as indicated at 39 in FIGURE 7, and inserted in a relatively small cme 31 of transparent plastic or other suitable material, so that it may be readily carried in the purse or pocket and occupy a mini mum of space. In the construction of the garment a central opening 32 is formed in the sheet 21 and reinforced by an annular rim 33 which may comprise a double layer of the material of the garment or which may be other suitable material.

The garment may be worn in several fashions. For example, as shown in FIGURE 3, the head H of the wearer W may be inserted through the opening 32, after spreading the garment by the hands H, as shown in FIG- URE 2, and allowed to drape downwardly about the upper body in poncho fashion. The end portions 21a extend downwardly from the sides of the body slightly, but the upper body portion is completely protected. Another method of wearing the device is shown in FIGURE 4 wherein the head is inserted through the opening 32 and the garment allowed to drape over the body of the wearer, with the ends in front and secured together by tying the tie strings 26, as shown in FIGURE 9.

FIGURE 5 shows still another method of wearing the garment wherein an intermediate portion of the sheet 21 is worn over the head to protect the same, and the hands H are inserted in the pockets formed by the grommets 25 interiorly of the end portions 21a of the sheet to hold the garment about the front of the body,

FIGURE 6 discloses still another method of wearing the garment with the hands H inserted in the pockets, previously described, with the intermediate portion draped around the back of the neck N of the wearer and the hands folded across the front to hold the garment securely about the body.

The above methods of wearing the garment are only illustrative of several of the manners in which the garment may be worn but it will be seen that all afiord desired protection to the upper body to the extent desired.

FIGURES 10 and 11 disclose a modified form of construction where ends 21b of a sheet 21, identical to that previously described, are secured together by means of the opposite halves 35 and 36 of separable spring fastener method or snap, which includes a resilient male element 37, a corresponding female element 38, which are adapted to be secured together when the garment is worn in the manner disclosed in FIGURE 4, for example.

Obviously, other suitable fastening means may be employed if desired.

The garment of the instant invention may be made in any desired conventional size to protect either the upper part of the body, including the head, or the entire body, if desired, and may be made of any desirable thin material, preferably of water repellent material, and of a type which lends itself readily to accordion pleating as described, and may be of any suitable color or ornamented in any desired manner.

From the foregoing, it will now be seen that there is herein provided an approved protective garment which readily adapts itself to wear in a variety of fashions and which accomplishes all the objects of this invention and others, including many advantages of great practical utility and commercial importance.

As many embodiments may be made of this inventive concept, and as many modifications may be made of the embodiment hereinbefore shown and described, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

A garment adapted to be Worn in various fashions over the upper part of the body of a wearer, said garment comprising a rectangular body of flexible sheet material, closely spaced pleats extending longitudinally of the body from end to end thereof, the pleated ends of the body being gathered, grommets extending through the pleated ends for holding the ends in gathered fashion, strings extending through and outwardly of the gromments for securing the body around the upper part of the body of the wearer, said strings being knotted at both ends of the gromments to prevent displacement of the strings, said body having an opening centrally thereof adapted to be slipped over the head of the wearer, with the remainder of the body adapted to cover the upper part of the body of the wearer in spread-eagle fashion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,766,458 Sheen-Wolski Oct. 16, 1956 3,042,931 Sawyer July 10, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 192,357 Austria Oct. 10, 1957 

